Owned and operated by the Animal Care Society, the shop on Main Street also offers many other antiques and collectibles.

The society and shop are the result of a dream of a small group of men and women who got together in June 1978 to set up an organization to aid homeless and helpless animals.

A priority then and now was a spaying and neutering program for cats and dogs. "That was our goal then and it still is," says Irene Tyler, one of the founders.

Animal Care does not run a shelter. It sponsors low-cost clinics for pets, including spaying and neutering, heartworm testing and tattooing.

"We pay part or all of the cost for pet owners who need financial help with veterinary bills," says Tyler.

The society also provides food for pets and wildlife, keeps files on lost and found animals and tries to educate the public in the care and treatment of animals.

It pays for board and care in foster homes for animals while they are waiting for homes. A small "Kitty Kottage" provides space for a small number of cats and kittens. Some of the volunteers can also be counted on for foster care.

The original eight animal lovers, Irene and her husband Stanley, Allison and Mary Hunter Phillips, Shirley Hudgins, Elsie Field, Ruth Cox and Virginia Bensten, made donations to get the group started.

"We rented a small room over Hudgins' Drug Store and we shared that with a hearing aid company. We soon ran out of space," says Tyler.

In October of the same year, they rented the present building, which the society now owns. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Before long, Marie Temple joined the group as a volunteer and became a buyer for the shop. "It's what I could do to help the organization," she says.

A resident of Williamsburg, she visits businesses, auctions, and estate and private sales to find just the right items for the shop.

Sometimes she's accompanied by Elsie Field. "You meet a lot of people and you learn a lot. We have a good time," Temple says.

The Temples also have a house in Corpus Christi, Texas, and trips there provide opportunities for shopping. "I make stops along the way and also go to Mexico looking for things."

On a tour of the shop, she points out furniture, clocks, pottery, brass and jewelry. "We try to keep everything reasonably priced."

Services are provided for Mathews, Gloucester and Middlesex counties and other areas when there are requests for help.

Tyler notes with pride that the society has been recognized by the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies as the only self-supporting humane organization in the state.

"We welcome donations, but we could exist on the proceeds from the shop," she says. Two huge yard sales a year have been very successful fund-raisers for the group.

She emphasizes that the group is run strictly by volunteers. She credits the 30 regular and 10 part-time volunteers for much of the success of the group's programs.

Ralph Champney Jr. is president of Animal Care, which has about 300 members.